Podcasts · True Crime · Society & Culture
Criminal
Vox Media Podcast Network
300 episodes
Criminal is the first of its kind. A show about people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle. Hosted by Phoebe Judge. Named a Best Podcast of 2023 by the New York Times. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Episodes page 3 of 6
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Dexter Wade
Bettersten Wade searched for her missing 37-year-old son for nearly six months. Then she found out that the police knew where he was the whole time. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Sign up for…
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Moon Rocks Wanted
On September 18, 1998, an unusual ad ran in USA Today — a company called John’s Estate Sales was looking to buy a moon rock. The phone number on the ad belonged to Special Agent Joe Gutheinz at NASA. Say hello on…
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The Christmas Fire
The bodies of a woman and her child were found inside a burned house on Christmas Day, 1843. An autopsy showed that they’d died before the fire even started. Alex Hortis's book is The Witch of New York. Say hello on…
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Turtle vs. Toilet, a Monster in the Closet, and a Surprise Possum
Stories of animals really going for it. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts. Sign up for…
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Operation Flagship
In 1985, 160 people were sent letters saying they’d won free tickets to an NFL football game. They were told to pick up their tickets at the Washington Convention Center. When they arrived, they were greeted by…
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The Sale
In 1791, three men filed lawsuits in the General Court of Maryland. They were all suing the same person: the Jesuit priest who enslaved them. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Sign up for our…
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For the Sake of American Youth
“Children nowadays, they make maps. And say, this is the street where the store is that we're going to rob, and this is where we're going to hide, and this is how we get away.” In the 1950s, U.S. senators were worrying…
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Extraordinary and Compelling Reasons
In 1993, Gary Settle was sentenced to 177 years in prison. Twenty-six years into his sentence, he started helping other inmates get out of prison through something called compassionate release - a policy that allows…
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The Reverend
In 1977, a man named Robert Burns went to a funeral and shot someone, in the head, in front of 300 people. He didn’t deny it, and his lawyer didn’t deny it. Burns told a police officer: “I had to do it. And if I had to…
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The Family Land, Part 2
This week, part two of the Reels family story – how two brothers went to jail in an attempt to save their family land, and were held there for eight years without being charged with a crime. “I’m not going to give up.…
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The Family Land, Part 1
Melvin Davis and Licurtis Reels refused to leave the land that had been in their family for generations – so they were sent to jail. They expected to be in jail for 90 days. They were there for 8 years. This week, part…
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Valentine
Today, a personal story from Phoebe about her mother, Valentine, who died this spring. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and…
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Under the Wall
Soon after the Berlin Wall went up, a group of students knocked on Joachim Rudolph’s door. They told him they were trying to get people out of East Germany - and they wanted his help. Helena Merriman’s book and BBC…
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A Land Without Law
Before Guantánamo Bay became the prison we know today, Marie Genard spent more than a year of her life there. She was 14. Brandt Goldstein’s book is Storming the Court: How a Band of Law Students Fought the…
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The Mirage
In 1977, a new bar opened on North Wells Street in Chicago. Things weren’t as they seemed at the aptly named “Mirage Tavern.” This story is from our friends at Snap Judgment. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram…
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A Murder in the Forest
One morning, two men got in a boat and sailed down a river in the Amazon rainforest. They were never heard from again. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The…
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Into the Vault
In the summer of 1975, two best friends attempted a robbery unlike any they’d ever pulled off before. Their target: the mob. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Sign up for our occasional newsletter,…
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The Petition
When Madison Smith went to her county attorney’s office to talk about her rape case, she knew she wanted to press charges. But the prosecutor told her he wouldn't bring a rape charge. Then she discovered a loophole in…
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Hot Lotto
In 2010, a $16.5 million Hot Lotto ticket was sold at a gas station in Des Moines, Iowa. At first, no one showed up to claim the prize. And then, a series of lawyers tried to claim the money on behalf of a client they…
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Big Fish
Two men turned in the winning catch at a Lake Erie fishing tournament. But when the tournament director squeezed one of their fish - he felt something inside. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for…
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Ana
Phoebe: Are there a lot of spies in this country today? Scott: Far more than people can probably even imagine. You can't rule anybody out. You never know what it is that motivates people to do this. For 17 years, Ana…
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Trouble in Flamingo
Hunters in the Everglades used to kill millions of birds every year for their feathers. In 1902, a man named Guy Bradley was hired to stop people from shooting the birds – but it wasn’t easy. “If you’re working alone…
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Millions of Pills
“There was a saying I heard a few times: ‘under the influence, above the law.’ And I think that describes the mindset of a certain type of fraternity guy.” Max Marshall’s book is Among the Bros: A Fraternity Crime…
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Los Hipopótamos
In the 1980s, Pablo Escobar smuggled four hippopotamuses into Colombia for a zoo on his ranch. Today, there are over 160 hippos in the country. “It’s like hippo paradise here. They have water and food all year long.…
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The Disappearance of Leslie Arnold
In 1967, a 24-year-old named Leslie Arnold escaped from prison. The FBI looked for him for years. And then, in 2022, a U.S. Marshal got a message from his son. How are we doing? Take our survey here. Say hello on…
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Ten Thousand Feet in the Air
On the afternoon of June 23rd, 1972, Martin McNally walked into the St. Louis airport with a wig, a sawed-off rifle, and a plan. Special thanks to Danny Wicentowski. Learn more at the Riverfront Times: “The Final…
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State of North Carolina v. Joan Little
When Karen Bethea-Shields was in college, she heard a judge say, “No way in the world a Black woman can get raped.” A few years later, in 1975, she helped successfully defend Joan Little—a Black woman—who became the…
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The Demon Spread
“The ingenuity of depraved human genius has culminated in the production of margarine.” Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review…
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One Troy
The Lawrence H. Woodward funeral home in Brooklyn has been run by one family for generations, and has handled many funerals for victims of violent crime. When we visited, one funeral director told us, “I don’t think…
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11 to 1
When JonRe Taylor was called for jury duty in 2007, she voted ‘not guilty’ on every charge. But the defendant was convicted and sent to prison anyway. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our…
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The Six
In 1989, three people confessed to participating in a murder. Eventually, a total of six people were arrested. But when DNA tests were run on crime scene evidence almost 20 years later - the results showed that none of…
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Type B
Six people were arrested for a murder in Nebraska. Some said they couldn't remember details of the crime, or being there at all - but then they began to have dreams about it. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and…
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The Confession, Part 3
When we last spoke with Trevell Coleman, he was waiting to hear back about his clemency application. And then, in December of last year, his lawyer got a phone call. We shared Trevell’s story in two episodes we…
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Right of Way
In 1991, two police officers stopped Tupac Shakur for jaywalking. He said he was knocked unconscious during his arrest, and sued the city of Oakland for 10 million dollars. His lawyer says many of the police brutality…
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Mr. Apology
In 1980, posters appeared in subway stations and on telephone poles in New York City with a phone number to call. When you called it, you would hear a message: “This is Apology. Apology is not associated with the…
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Under Oath
When he was 14 years old, Ron Bishop testified in a murder trial. Decades later, he told an investigator everything he said on the stand was a lie – and that it was just what he was told to say. Say hello on Twitter,…
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The Strike
When people started saying that John D. Rockefeller Jr. was responsible for the deaths of two women and 11 children near a coal mine in Colorado, he decided to do something unusual. He hired “the father of public…
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An Officer's Arrest
Sultan Alam was the first Pakistani officer to join the traffic department of the Cleveland Police in the UK. He was harassed at work and complained to his senior officers about it. Then his coworkers showed up at his…
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Indelible Ink
For almost thirty years, Adolfo Kaminsky lived quietly, forging documents for people all over the world. It started when he was 18. Sarah Kaminsky’s book is Adolfo Kaminsky: A Forger’s Life. Say hello on Twitter,…
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The Hiss
As the famous English actor William Macready was preparing to go on stage in New York, over 300 police officers were placed in and around the theater. “But the head of the police said, ‘I don't know that that's going…
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The Dial Painters
In the early 1920s, painters at a watch dial factory in New Jersey started to get sick. No one could tell them why. Kate Moore's book is called The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women. Say hello…
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If I’m Long Unheard From
In 1974, musician Connie Converse drove away from home and was never heard from again. Howard Fishman’s book is To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse. Martha Wainwright’s cover of…
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Off Leash
“I never did anything wrong. I never had a speeding ticket. I think I just saved all my stuff up for just one thing.” We speak with Toby Dorr, who started a prison dog training program in 2004. That’s how she met John…
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Call Russ Ewing
“The police had surrounded the house. They had been there for quite a while. They didn’t want to try to rush the house because they thought he might kill one of the innocent people. But after waiting for a long time, I…
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Cowboy Bob
In May 1991, a bank robber walked into a bank in Irving, Texas, and without speaking handed the teller a note that read, “This is a bank robbery. Give me your money. No marked bills or dye packs.” Check out Skip…
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Bonus: The Liberal Arts Club
Listen to the latest Criminal Plus bonus episode completely for free. Phoebe and Lauren hit record on the drive to visit a 100-year-old Liberal Arts Club in Tarboro, North Carolina. You’ll also hear Phoebe’s…
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911
A conversation with a 911 operator about what happens on the other end of the line – and the day she heard her daughter's voice on the phone. Criminal is going back on tour this month! We’ll be telling brand new…
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The Ninth Floor
Martin Abramowitz knew that his father had worked at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, but he always thought he hadn’t been there the day the building caught fire and 146 workers died. Then he found out that a man with…
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48 Hours, Part 2
This episode picks up where 48 Hours, Part 1 left off. We suggest you listen to them in order. When Aaron Quinn called the Vallejo police to report that his girlfriend Denise Huskins had been kidnapped, and went into…
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48 Hours, Part 1
“I think it was around 3:00 a.m., and that’s when I heard a strange man’s voice waking me from sleep.” This is part one of a two-part episode. Listen to part two in our next episode. Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn’s…
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